Compact dunnage dispensing system and method

ABSTRACT

A compact system ( 10 ) for dispensing a dunnage product ( 14 ) includes the combination of a container ( 16 ) for a supply of fan-folded sheet stock material ( 12 ) and a feed assembly ( 20 ) for drawing the stock material ( 12 ) from the container ( 16 ). The container ( 16 ) has an opening ( 26 ) with a dimension that is smaller than a corresponding dimension, particularly a width dimension, of the container ( 16 ). A leading end ( 30 ) of the sheet material ( 12 ) is pulled from the container ( 16 ), through the opening ( 26 ). Then the container ( 16 ) is inverted and supported above the feed assembly ( 20 ) with the opening ( 26 ) facing and aligned with a linear path ( 24 ) through the feed assembly ( 20 ). The container ( 16 ) is supported such that rotating members ( 22 ) in the feed assembly ( 20 ) can engage the leading end ( 30 ) of the stock material ( 12 ) and draw the stock material ( 12 ) from the container ( 16 ) and along the linear path ( 24 ) through the feed assembly ( 20 ), which dispenses the dunnage product ( 14 ).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/432,968, filed Jan. 14, 2011, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a compact system and method fordispensing dunnage.

BACKGROUND

In the process of shipping one or more articles in a container, such asa cardboard box, from one location to another, a packer typically placessome type of dunnage material in the shipping container along with thearticle or articles to be shipped. The dunnage material partially orcompletely fills the empty space or void volume around the articles inthe container. By filling the void volume, the dunnage prevents orminimizes movement of the articles that might lead to damage during theshipment process.

To use storage space more efficiently, a dunnage conversion machine canbe used to convert a supply of higher density stock material, such as aroll or stack of paper, into a lower density dunnage product. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,589 discloses an exemplary dunnageconversion machine that can convert a continuous sheet of paper into acrumpled strip of void-fill dunnage. Dunnage conversion machines alsoare referred to as converters.

Such powered dunnage converters are well suited for high or mediumvolume applications. They also can be used for low volume applicationswhere a small amount of dunnage is needed from time-to-time, but usuallythe cost is too high. These heavy-duty converters also are somewhatbulky and occasionally require maintenance or repair. Consequently, lowvolume applications typically have been serviced by other types ofdunnage, such as plastic foam peanuts and manually-crumpled newspaper.Plastic foam peanuts are messy and occupy the same volume when beingstored as when being used. Crumpled newspaper also is messy and requiresthe packer to manually crumple the newspaper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a more compact way to dispense dunnageproducts, and more particularly provides a dunnage dispensing orpackaging system and method for supporting a supply of sheet materialthat can be retrieved from a bottom side of the supply. The packagingsystems provided by the invention take up less space than previouscompact conversion systems.

In particular, the present invention provides a packaging system with astack of fan-folded sheet material suitable for use as a packingmaterial, and a support having a surface for supporting the stack. Thesurface has an aperture therein. The system further includes a standthat supports a bottom of the support at an elevated position so thatpacking material can be withdrawn from a bottom side of the stack.

The present invention also provides a packing or dunnage dispensingsystem with a container for a supply of stock material, and a feedassembly having movable members arranged for drawing sheet stockmaterial therethrough along a linear path aligned with an opening in thecontainer. The container can be mounted above the feed assembly, forexample. The container has an opening with a dimension that is smallerthan a corresponding dimension of the container. In other words, thewidth, for example, of the opening is less than the width of thecontainer.

An exemplary container houses a stack of fan-folded sheet stock materialhaving a width dimension and fold lines generally parallel to the widthdimension. Preferably, the container has a converging side wall or wallsthat terminate at a reduced-size outlet opening through which the sheetstock material is drawn, thereby inwardly gathering and crumpling thesheet material to form a relatively less dense strip of dunnage as it ispulled through the outlet opening. The width of the container may beless than the width of the stack, whereby the stack is bent to fitwithin the container. The bent stack has a convex surface and a concavesurface, and the convex surface faces the opening in the container.

An exemplary feed assembly includes an opposed pair of rotating membersthat define a path therebetween for the sheet stock material. As thesemembers rotate, they pull the sheet stock material therebetween and drawit from the container. The sheet stock material is dispensed through anoutlet of the feed assembly.

The present invention also provides a method of converting sheet stockmaterial into a relatively less dense dunnage product. The methodincludes the following steps: (i) providing a stack of fan-folded sheetstock material having fold lines parallel to a width dimension; and (ii)drawing sheet stock material from a bottom side of the stack.

An exemplary method includes the steps of pulling a leading end of thesheet material from a container and then inverting the container, andsupporting the container on the feed assembly before the drawing step.The drawing step also can include drawing the sheet stock materialthrough an opening having a width that is less than the width of thestack.

The present invention also provides, in combination, a container for asheet stock material, where the container has an opening with adimension that is less than a corresponding dimension of the container,and a feed assembly for drawing sheet stock material from the containerand along a substantially linear path through the feed assembly. Theopening is aligned with that linear path.

By aligning the outlet of the container with the feed direction, feedproblems, such as tears or jams, and other problems sometimes related tothe feeding of sheet stock material into a dunnage conversion machine,are eliminated or reduced in this arrangement. Moreover, thisarrangement provides a very small footprint which takes up less space ata packaging workstation. The stock material also is completely enclosedand therefore impervious to wind or other issues that may arise in thepackaging environment. Finally, the feed assembly is very easy to loadwith a new supply of stock material since the sheet material does nothave to be fed around any leading rollers or feed wheels prior todrawing the sheet material from the container to produce a dunnage orpacking product.

The foregoing and other features of the invention are hereinafter fullydescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims, the followingdescription and annexed drawings setting forth in detail certainillustrative embodiments of the invention, these embodiments beingindicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a container with a sheet stockmaterial and a feed assembly for drawing sheet stock material from thecontainer, in accordance with one packing system provided by theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1, with acontainer having a supply of sheet stock material being pulled from thecontainer and fed through a feed assembly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a stack of fan-folded sheet stockmaterial.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container that may be used inaccordance with the system provided by the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another container that may be used inaccordance with the system provided by the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the stack of sheet stock material ofFIG. 1 folded for insertion into a container in accordance with theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the folded stack of sheet stockmaterial in a container in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a dunnage support provided in accordancewith another packing system provided by the invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a packing system providedby the invention that includes the support of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a dunnage support provided inaccordance with another packing system provided by the invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a packing system providedby the invention that includes the support of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a compact packaging or dunnage dispensingsystem and method characterized by a stack of fan-folded sheet materialsuitable for use as a packing material, and a support having a surfacefor supporting the stack. The surface has an aperture therein. Thesystem further includes a stand that supports a bottom of the support atan elevated position so that sheet material can be withdrawn from abottom side of the stack.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary system 10 provided by the presentinvention for supporting a sheet stock material 12 and dispensing apacking material 14. The packing material 14 dispensed can be a dunnageproduct, which typically is relatively less dense than the stockmaterial 12. The system 10 includes a supply of stock material 12 in acontainer 16, which protects the stock material 12 during transport andstorage. The walls of the container 16 also provide a surface forsupporting the stock material for use as a packing material. Theillustrated system 10 also has a feed assembly 20 that includes at leasttwo movable members 22 arranged for drawing sheet stock materialtherethrough along a linear path 24, with which an opening 26 in thecontainer 16 can be aligned. If the feed assembly 20 imparts orreinforces a shape of the stock material drawn therethrough, the packingsystem 10 also can be considered a dunnage conversion system.

To load the stock material 12 into the feed assembly 20, a leading end30 of the sheet material 12 is pulled from the container 16, through theopening 26. Then the container 16 is inverted and supported above thefeed assembly 20. The opening 26 faces the feed assembly 20 and isaligned with the linear path 24 through the feed assembly 20. Thecontainer 16 is mounted such that the rotating members 22 can engage theleading end 30 of the stock material 12 and draw the stock material 12from the container 16. The rotating members 22 draw the stock materialthrough the feed assembly 22 and dispense the dunnage product 14. Inthis arrangement, the opening 26 is aligned with the feed assembly 20and the container 16 is supported relative to the feed assembly 20.Elements of the feed assembly 20 define the linear path 24 from theopening 26 through the feed assembly 20. The linear path 24 through thefeed assembly 20 generally is perpendicular to a plane of the opening 26in the container 16. As an alternative to the illustrated embodiment,the arrangement can be reversed, with the feed assembly supported abovethe stock material container.

By aligning the outlet opening 26 of the container 16 with the feeddirection, feed problems, such as tears or jams, and other problemssometimes related to the feeding of sheet stock material into a dunnageconversion machine, are eliminated or reduced in this arrangement.Moreover, this arrangement provides a very small footprint which takesup less space at a packaging workstation. The stock material 12 also iscompletely enclosed and therefore impervious to wind or other issuesthat may arise in the packaging environment. Finally, the feed assembly20 is very easy to load with a new supply of stock material since thesheet material does not have to be fed around any leading rollers orfeed wheels prior to drawing the sheet material from the container 16 toproduce a dunnage or packing product.

Turning to FIG. 3, the container 16 generally houses a stack offan-folded sheet stock material 12 having a width dimension W_(s), adepth dimension D_(s), and a height dimension H_(s). The width dimensionW_(s) generally is larger than a depth dimension D_(s) of the stack 12.The sheet stock material 12 includes one or more plies of sheetmaterial, such as paper or plastic. Kraft paper is an exemplary sheetstock material. The sheet stock material has fold lines 32 generallyparallel to the width dimension W_(s). The sheet stock material 12 alsocan be perforated or otherwise weakened along longitudinally-spaced,transversely-extending tear lines. The tear lines enable or facilitateseparating discrete sections of dunnage 14 from the crumpled stripexiting the feed assembly 20 (FIG. 2). The tear lines generally arecoextensive with the fold lines 32. Alternatively, a cutting device canbe provided to sever the strip of dunnage 14 at a desired length.

An exemplary container 16 for a supply of stock material 12 (FIG. 3) isshown in FIG. 4. The container 16 generally has a rectangular cubeshape, with a height dimension H_(c), a width dimension W_(c), and adepth dimension D_(c) orthogonal to each other. The opening 26 throughwhich the stock material 12 is drawn from the container 16 typically hasa dimension that is smaller than a corresponding dimension of thecontainer 16. In the illustrated embodiment, both the width W_(c) andthe depth D_(c) of the container 16 are greater than the correspondingwidth W_(o) and depth D_(o), respectively, of the opening 26. The stockmaterial 12 is drawn from the stack in a direction perpendicular to thefold lines 32, and the width of the stock material generally correspondsto the width of the stack. Although sheet stock material, andparticularly paper, provides an exemplary dunnage and packing material,other forms of dunnage can be dispensed from a container or other stockmaterial support.

Dunnage conversion machines that convert a supply of such stock materialinto a dunnage product generally have a width that is similar to thewidth of the stock material. Consequently, some existing dunnageconversion machines can take up a significant amount of floor space.Dunnage converters also typically include a forming device at anupstream end that receives the stock material. This forming devicegenerally is in the shape of a funnel or converging chute, with orwithout other complementing elements that form the stock material into adesired shape. One or more dimensions of a converging forming devicedecrease in a downstream direction from an inlet toward an outlet.Alternatively, the forming device can include an air bag filling andsealing assembly, for example, or other type of dunnage-forming device.The outlet generally is adjacent a feed mechanism that pulls the sheetmaterial from the supply and through the forming device. The feedmechanism generally includes one or more rotating members that advancethe sheet material as they rotate.

A disadvantage of some conversion machines is their width or the amountof space that they occupy, and in some situations it would be desirableto provide a narrower converter and a correspondingly narrow supply ofstock material. Wider sheet material, however, can provide a wider or ahigher density dunnage product that is more desirable in certain packingsituations. The present invention provides a system and method thatreduce or eliminate the need to form the sheet material between thesupply 12 and the feed assembly 20, thereby enabling simpler and smallerdunnage converters and dispensers. In particular, employing a foldedstack of sheet stock material 12, as described in more detail below,enables the use of a relatively wide stock material to produce dunnageproducts having advantages in relatively high density and volume thatotherwise generally would not be possible from a narrower stockmaterial.

A typical container 16, shown in FIG. 5, is a cardboard box with one ormore side walls 40 and one or more flaps 42 hingedly connected to theside walls 40. One or more of these flaps 42 can be pushed inwardly toextend over the stock material therein. The opening 26 therefore isdefined by one or more flaps 42, and typically the flaps 42 are movablebetween a shipping position where the flaps 42 are generallyperpendicular to the side walls 40, thereby forming a rectangular cube,and a dispensing configuration where the flaps 42 are outwardlydisplaced from the shipping position. In the dispensing configuration,the flaps 42 form surfaces that are inclined away from the side walls 40of the container 16 and extend over the open side of the container 16and the stock material in the container 16.

The flaps 42 of the container 16 can be configured to include featuresthat can be used to limit the extent to which the flaps 42 can move fromthe dispensing position as sheet stock material is pulled through theopening 26. These features can include flaps 42 that mate withcorresponding surfaces on the feed assembly 20 (as shown in FIG. 2) toprevent those flaps 42 from moving, or the flaps 42 can include tabs andslots (as shown in FIG. 4) for connecting adjacent flaps together andlimiting their range of movement. Either way, when the flaps 42 areinclined they present a sloped surface to the stock material for guidingthe stock material to the reduced-width outlet opening 26 and into thefeed assembly 20 (FIG. 2).

The illustrated container 16 has a converging side wall or walls onopposing widthwise sides of the container 16 that terminate at thereduced-size outlet opening 26 through which the sheet stock material 12is drawn. These converging walls, formed by the flaps 42, support thestock material 12 until it is pulled from the container 16. Since theopening 26 is narrower than the stock material 12, the stock material 12is inwardly gathered and crumpled as it is pulled from the container 16.The opening 26 generally is positioned such that the stock material 12can be drawn through the opening 26 in a direction transverse the widthdimension W_(s) of the stock material 12.

The width dimension W_(s) of the sheet stock material 12 can beapproximately the same dimension as the width W_(c) of the container 16,which is the case in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. When the container16 with such sheet stock material 12 is inverted and mounted above thefeed assembly 20, the stock material 12 will tend to bow slightly in themiddle, presenting a convex surface 32 toward the opening 26 in thecontainer 16.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, however, the container 16 can have a widthdimension W_(c) that is less than the width W_(s) of the stack of sheetstock material 12. In that case, the stack 12 has to be bent to fitwithin the container 16. The stack is folded about an axis that istransverse the width dimension W_(s). The resulting folded stack has afolded width dimension FW that is less than the unfolded width dimensionW_(s), a folded height dimension FH that is greater than the unfoldedheight dimension H_(s), and a folded depth dimension FD that is the sameas the unfolded depth dimension D_(s). The container height H_(c),container depth D_(c), and container width W_(c) generally correspond tothe folded height FH, folded width FW, and folded depth FD of the foldedstack 12 such that the container 16 can receive the bent folded stack.

The folded stack of sheet stock material 12 has a convex surface 32 anda concave surface 34 in the stack 12. The bent stack is placed in thecontainer 16 with the convex surface 32 facing the opening 26. In otherwords, the stack 12 has been folded about a transverse axis, and in thiscase an axis that is perpendicular to the width dimension W_(s).Described another way, the stack 12 is folded into an inverted U-shapewith the outer surface 32 of that U-shape, particularly the center ofthe U-shape, closest to the container opening 26. When the container 16is inverted, the convex outer surface 32 also is the bottom surface ofthe stack 12.

Alternatively, the container may not include flaps and the stockmaterial can be drawn directly into the feed assembly 20. The foldedstock material 12 (FIG. 7) in particular tends to inwardly gather towarda centerline as it is pulled from the stack, so very short or noconverging guide surfaces are necessary. Also, if sloped or convergingguide surfaces are employed, they can be integrally formed in thehousing for the feed assembly 20 rather than by flaps in the container16.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the feed assembly 20 generallyincludes a housing 50 having an inlet 52 and an outlet 54, as well as anopposed pair of rotating members 22 that define a path for the sheetstock material 12 between the inlet 52 and the outlet 54. The rotatingmembers 22 can include friction wheels, gears, paddle wheels, etc. Thehousing 50 can be shaped to support the supply of sheet stock material12, or the supply can be supported in another way above the feedassembly 20. In an embodiment not shown, the stock material 12 could besupported on the feed assembly 20 directly without a separate container16. In that arrangement, the container 16 for the stock material 12, ifany, preferably is integrated into the housing 50 for the feed assembly20. Rather than replacing the container after all the stock material hasbeen dispensed, only the stock material would need to be replaced.

As mentioned previously, the present invention also provides a method ofdispensing a dunnage product. The method includes the following steps:(i) providing a stack of fan-folded sheet stock material having foldlines parallel to a width dimension, and (ii) drawing sheet stockmaterial from a bottom side of the stack. The drawing step can includedrawing the sheet stock material through an opening having a width thatis less than the width of the stack. The method can also include thestep of pulling a leading end of the sheet stock material from thecontainer and then inverting the container and supporting the containeron the feed assembly before the drawing step.

As shown in the FIG. 2, the drawing step can include drawing sheet stockmaterial from a bottom side of the stack, as is the case when the stackis supported from below and the stock material is withdrawn in agenerally downward direction, as shown. The drawing step is accomplishedby one or more rotating members in the feed assembly, as describedabove. The drawing step can further include pulling the stock materialin a direction transverse the width dimension on a linear path throughthe feed assembly. Because the sheet material is drawn from the supplyand through the feed assembly on a linear path, no turning of the pathoccurs and no turning of the stock material is necessary. Turning sheetstock material to align it with an inlet of a feed assembly generallyincreases friction on the stock material and can be a source of tearingof the stock material or jamming in the feed assembly. Removing the needto turn or otherwise guide the stock material to the feed assembly alsoprovides a more compact packing system. The pulling step includes movingelements of a feed assembly to pull the sheet stock material from thestack.

The providing step can include providing that stack of sheet materialbent about an axis transverse a width dimension to form a convex surfacein the stack. The providing step can further include providing acontainer having a width dimension that is less than the width of thestock material to hold the stock material in a bent state, as shown inFIG. 6.

The positioning step includes positioning the stack adjacent the feedassembly, preferably supporting the stack on the feed assembly, with theopening in the container facing the feed assembly and aligned with thelinear path through the feed assembly. Thus the positioning stepincludes pulling a leading end of the sheet material from the containerand then mounting the container on the feed assembly so that the feedassembly can engage the leading end of the stock material that issupported by the feed assembly. The positioning step can also includeinverting the container.

The present invention also provides a compact packing system without afeed assembly, which makes it even simpler and more compact. Referringnow to FIGS. 8-11, the present invention provides a packaging systemwith a surface for supporting a supply of dunnage, such as theillustrated fan-folded stack of sheet stock material, with or withoutbeing confined in a container.

Turning first to FIGS. 8 and 9, the packaging system 100 provided by theinvention includes a stack 102 of fan-folded sheet material suitable foruse as a packing material, as described above. The system 100 alsoincludes a support 104 having a surface 106 for supporting the stack 102at an elevated position. In FIGS. 8 and 9 the support 104 provides aplatform with a generally planar surface.

The support surface 106 has an aperture 110 therein. The illustratedaperture 110 is in the form of an opening surrounded on all sides by thesupport 104. Alternatively the aperture could take the form of a notchthat is open to one or more sides of the support surface 106. An axisthrough the center of the aperture 110 is substantially vertical.

The system 100 also includes a stand 112 that supports a bottom of thesupport 104 at an elevated position so that packing material 114 can bewithdrawn from a bottom side of the stack 102. The stand 112 in thiscase includes a plurality of legs 113, but other types of frame orsupport elements can be used in addition to or in place of theillustrated legs 113.

The stack 102 of fan-folded sheet material optionally can be confined ina container 116. The container 116 can be a rectangular container, acontainer with interconnectable flaps, as described above, or defined byone or more upright walls extending above the support surface 106. Aportion of the container 116 also can at least partially define thesupport 104.

The support 104 preferably supports widthwise ends of the stack 102 ofsheet material so that a center portion of the stack is downwardlybowed, as shown and as described above, bent about an axis transversethe width dimension. The width dimension is parallel to the fold linesin the stack 102.

To enhance this bowed or bent configuration of the stack 102, thesupport can include a converging chute 120 extending downward from theaperture 110 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The aperture 110 iscoextensive with an inlet 122 to the chute 120 and a relatively smalleroutlet 124 is spaced below the inlet 122. Converging side walls 126connect the inlet 122 and the outlet 124. The stack 102 can be supportedby planar portions of the support 104 bounding the aperture 110, asshown, or directly by the inwardly converging side walls 126 of thechute 120.

The present invention also provides, in combination, a container for asheet stock material where the container has an opening with a dimensionthat is less than a corresponding dimension of the container, and a feedassembly for drawing sheet stock material from the container and along asubstantially linear path through the feed assembly. The opening isaligned with the linear path. The container has a width dimension and astack of fan-folded sheet stock material in the container. The stack hasa width dimension parallel to fold lines in the sheet material, and thewidth dimension of the stock material is greater than the width of thecontainer, whereby the stack is bent about an axis transverse the widthdimension to create a convex surface facing the opening.

In summary, the present invention provides a compact system 10 fordispensing a dunnage product 14 that includes the combination of acontainer 16 for a supply of fan-folded sheet stock material 12 and afeed assembly 20 for drawing the stock material 12 from the container16. The container 16 has an opening 26 with a dimension that is smallerthan a corresponding dimension, particularly a width dimension, of thecontainer 16. A leading end 30 of the sheet material 12 is pulled fromthe container 16, through the opening 26. Then the container 16 isinverted and supported above the feed assembly 20 with the opening 26facing and aligned with a linear path 24 through the feed assembly 20.The container 16 is supported such that rotating members 22 in the feedassembly 20 can engage the leading end 30 of the stock material 12 anddraw the stock material 12 from the container 16 and along the linearpath 24 through the feed assembly 20, which dispenses the dunnageproduct 14.

In summary, the present invention provides one or more of the featuresdescribed in the following clauses.

A. A packaging system, comprising:

a stack of fan-folded sheet material, and

a support having a surface for supporting the stack, the surface havingan aperture therein, and a stand that supports a bottom of the supportat an elevated position so that packing material can be withdrawn from abottom side of the stack.

B. A system as set forth in clause A or any other clause, where an axisthrough the center of the aperture is substantially vertical.

C. A system as set forth in clause A or any other clause, where thesupport surrounds the aperture on all sides.

D. A system as set forth in clause A or any other clause where thesupport includes a converging chute having a relatively larger inlet anda relatively smaller outlet spaced from the inlet.

E. A system as set forth in clause A or any other clause, where thesupport is at least partially defined by a portion of a container forthe stack of sheet material.

F. A system as set forth in clause E or any other clause depending fromclause E, where the container has an opening with a dimension that issmaller than a corresponding dimension of the container.

G. A system as set forth in clause A or any other clause, furthercomprising a feed assembly including movable members arranged fordrawing sheet stock material therethrough along a linear path alignedwith a center of the aperture.

H. A system as set forth in clause G or any other system clause, wherethe feed assembly includes an opposed pair of rotating members thatdefine a path therebetween for the sheet material.

I. A system as set forth in clause G or any other system clause, wherethe support is at least partially defined by a portion of a containerfor the stack of sheet material, the aperture is aligned with the feedassembly and cooperates with the feed assembly to define a linear pathfrom the aperture through the feed assembly, and the linear path throughthe feed assembly is perpendicular to a plane of an opening in thecontainer.

J. A system as set forth in clause E or any other system clause, wherethe container houses a stack of fan-folded sheet stock material having awidth dimension and fold lines generally parallel to the widthdimension.

K. A system as set forth in clause J or any other system clause, wherethe container has a width dimension, where the width of the container isless than the width of the stack, whereby the stack is bent to fitwithin the container, forming a convex surface and a concave surface inthe stack, the convex surface facing the opening in the container.

L. A system as set forth in clause K or any other system clause, wherethe stack is folded about an axis transverse the width dimension.

M. A system as set forth in clause J or any other system clause, wherethe stack is folded into an inverted U-shape within the container, theouter surface of the U-shape, particularly the center of the U-shape,being closest to the container opening.

N. A system as set forth in clause E or any other system clause, wherethe container has a converging side wall or walls that terminate at areduced-size outlet opening through which the sheet stock material isdrawn, thereby inwardly gathering and crumpling the sheet stock materialto form a relatively less dense strip of dunnage.

O. A system as set forth in clause J or any other system clause, wherethe opening is positioned such that stock material can be drawn throughthe opening in a direction transverse the width dimension of the stockmaterial.

P. A system as set forth in clause E or any other system clause, wherethe container has one or more side walls and one or more flaps hingedlyconnected to the side walls, where the opening is defined by one or moreflaps, and the flaps are movable between a shipping position where theflaps are generally perpendicular to the side walls, and a convertingconfiguration where the flaps are outwardly displaced from the shippingposition to form surfaces that are inclined away from the side walls ofthe container and extend over an open side of the container.

Q. A system as set forth in clause P or any other system clause, wherethe container is configured to include features that can be used tolimit the extent to which the flaps can move from the convertingposition as sheet stock material is pulled through the opening.

R. A system as set forth in clause Q or any other system clause, wherewhen the flaps are inclined, they present a sloped surface to the stockmaterial for guiding the stock material to the reduced-width outletopening.

S. A method of converting a sheet stock material into a relatively lessdense dunnage product, comprising the following steps:

(i) providing a stack of fan-folded sheet stock material having foldlines parallel to a width dimension; and

(ii) drawing sheet stock material from a bottom side of the stack.

T. A method as set forth in clause S or any other method clause,comprising the steps of pulling a leading end of the sheet material froma container and then inverting the container, and supporting thecontainer on the feed assembly before the drawing step.

U. A method as set forth in clause S or any other method clause, wherethe drawing step includes pulling the stock material in a directiontransverse the width dimension and through an aperture having a widththat is less than the width of the stack.

V. A method as set forth in clause S or any other method clause, wherethe drawing step is accomplished by one or more rotating members in afeed assembly.

W. A method as set forth in clause S or any other method clause, wherethe stack is bent about an axis transverse a width dimension to form aconvex surface in the stack, and the drawing step includes drawing sheetstock material from the convex surface.

X. A method as set forth in clause W or any other method clause, wherethe providing step includes providing the stock material in a containerhaving a width dimension that is less than the width of the stockmaterial to hold the stock material in its bent state.

Y. A method as set forth in clause X or any other method clause, wherethe positioning step includes pulling a leading end of the sheetmaterial from the container and then mounting the container on the feedassembly so that the feed assembly can engage the leading end of thestock material.

Z. A method as set forth in clause X or any other method clause, wherethe positioning step includes inverting the container.

AA. A method as set forth in clause S or any other method clause wherethe pulling step includes moving elements of a feed assembly to pull thesheet stock material from the stack.

AB. A method as set forth in clause AA or any other method clause, wherethe positioning step includes positioning the stack adjacent the feedassembly.

AC. A method as set forth in clause AA or any other method clause,comprising the step of supporting the stack on the feed assembly.

AD. In combination, a container for a sheet stock material, thecontainer having an opening with a dimension that is less than acorresponding dimension of the container, and a feed assembly fordrawing sheet stock material from the container and along asubstantially linear path through the feed assembly, where the openingis aligned with the linear path.

AE. A combination as set forth in clause AD or any other combinationclause, where the container has a width dimension and a stack offan-folded sheet stock material in the container, the stack having awidth dimension parallel to fold lines in the sheet material, the widthdimension of the stock material being greater than the width of thecontainer, and the stack is bent about an axis transverse the widthdimension to create a convex surface facing the opening.

AF. A system for converting a sheet stock material into a relativelyless dense dunnage product, comprising:

means for supporting a stack of fan-folded sheet stock material havingfold lines parallel to a width dimension, the stack being bent about anaxis transverse the width dimension to form a convex surface in thestack; and

means for drawing sheet stock material from the convex surface of thestack and through an aperture having a width that is less than the widthof the stack.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to acertain illustrated embodiment or embodiments, equivalent alterationsand modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon readingand understanding the specification and the annexed drawings. Inparticular regard to the various functions performed by the abovedescribed integers (components, assemblies, devices, compositions,etc.), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describesuch integers are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany integer which performs the specified function (i.e., that isfunctionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to thedisclosed structure which performs the function in the hereinillustrated embodiment or embodiments of the invention.

We claim:
 1. A packaging system (10, 100), comprising: a stack offan-folded sheet material (12, 102), and a support (104) having asurface (106) for supporting the stack (102), the surface (106) havingan aperture (26, 110) therein, and a stand (112) that supports a bottomof the support (104) at an elevated position so that packing material(14, 114) can be withdrawn from a bottom side of the stack (102).
 2. Asystem as set forth in claim 1 or any other claim, where an axis throughthe center of the aperture (110) is substantially vertical.
 3. A systemas set forth in claim 1 or any other claim, where the support (104)surrounds the aperture (110) on all sides.
 4. A system as set forth inclaim 1 or any other claim where the support (104) includes a convergingchute (120) having a relatively larger inlet (122) and a relativelysmaller outlet (124) spaced from the inlet (122).
 5. A system as setforth in claim 1 or any other claim, where the support (104) is at leastpartially defined by a portion of a container (116) for the stack (102)of sheet material.
 6. A system as set forth in claim 5 or any otherclaim depending from claim 5, where the container (116) has an opening(110) with a dimension that is smaller than a corresponding dimension ofthe container (116).
 7. A system as set forth in claim 1 or any otherclaim, further comprising a feed assembly (20) including movable members(22) arranged for drawing sheet stock material therethrough along alinear path aligned with a center of the aperture (26).
 8. A system asset forth in claim 7 or any other system claim, where the feed assembly(20) includes an opposed pair of rotating members (22) that define apath therebetween for the sheet material.
 9. A system as set forth inclaim 7 or any other system claim, where the support (104) is at leastpartially defined by a portion of a container (16) for the stack ofsheet material (12), the aperture (26) is aligned with the feed assembly(20) and cooperates with the feed assembly (20) to define a linear pathfrom the aperture (26) through the feed assembly (20), and the linearpath through the feed assembly (20) is perpendicular to a plane of anopening (26) in the container (16).
 10. A system as set forth in claim 5or any other system claim, where the container (16) houses a stack offan-folded sheet stock material (12) having a width dimension and foldlines generally parallel to the width dimension.
 11. A system as setforth in claim 10 or any other system claim, where the container (16)has a width dimension, where the width of the container (16) is lessthan the width of the stack (12), whereby the stack (12) is bent to fitwithin the container (16), forming a convex surface (34) and a concavesurface (36) in the stack (12), the convex surface (34) facing theopening (26) in the container (16).
 12. A system as set forth in claim11 or any other system claim, where the stack (12) is folded about anaxis transverse the width dimension.
 13. A system as set forth in claim10 or any other system claim, where the stack (12) is folded into aninverted U-shape within the container (16), the outer surface of theU-shape, particularly the center of the U-shape, being closest to thecontainer opening (26).
 14. A system as set forth in claim 5 or anyother system claim, where the container (16) has a converging side wallor walls that terminate at a reduced-size outlet opening (124) throughwhich the sheet stock material is drawn, thereby inwardly gathering andcrumpling the sheet stock material to form a relatively less dense stripof dunnage.
 15. A system as set forth in claim 10 or any other systemclaim, where the opening (26, 110) is positioned such that stockmaterial can be drawn through the opening in a direction transverse thewidth dimension of the stock material.
 16. A system as set forth inclaim 5 or any other system claim, where the container (16, 116) has oneor more side walls (40) and one or more flaps (42) hingedly connected tothe side walls (40), where the opening (26) is defined by one or moreflaps (42), and the flaps (42) are movable between a shipping positionwhere the flaps are generally perpendicular to the side walls (40), anda converting configuration where the flaps (42) are outwardly displacedfrom the shipping position to form surfaces that are inclined away fromthe side walls (40) of the container (16, 116) and extend over an openside of the container (16, 116).
 17. A system as set forth in claim 16or any other system claim, where the container (16, 116) is configuredto include features that can be used to limit the extent to which theflaps (42) can move from the converting position as sheet stock materialis pulled through the opening (26, 110).
 18. A system as set forth inclaim 17 or any other system claim, where when the flaps (42) areinclined, they present a sloped surface to the stock material forguiding the stock material to the reduced-width outlet opening (124).19. A method of converting a sheet stock material into a relatively lessdense dunnage product, comprising the following steps: (i) providing astack of fan-folded sheet stock material having fold lines parallel to awidth dimension; and (ii) drawing sheet stock material from a bottomside of the stack.
 20. A method as set forth in claim 19 or any othermethod claim, comprising the steps of pulling a leading end of the sheetmaterial from a container and then inverting the container, andsupporting the container on the feed assembly before the drawing step.21. A method as set forth in claim 19 or any other method claim, wherethe drawing step includes pulling the stock material in a directiontransverse the width dimension and through an aperture having a widththat is less than the width of the stack.
 22. A method as set forth inclaim 19 or any other method claim, where the drawing step isaccomplished by one or more rotating members in a feed assembly.
 23. Amethod as set forth in claim 19 or any other method claim, where thestack is bent about an axis transverse a width dimension to form aconvex surface in the stack, and the drawing step includes drawing sheetstock material from the convex surface.
 24. A method as set forth inclaim 23 or any other method claim, where the providing step includesproviding the stock material in a container having a width dimensionthat is less than the width of the stock material to hold the stockmaterial in its bent state.
 25. A method as set forth in claim 24 or anyother method claim, where the positioning step includes pulling aleading end of the sheet material from the container and then mountingthe container on the feed assembly so that the feed assembly can engagethe leading end of the stock material.
 26. A method as set forth inclaim 24 or any other method claim, where the positioning step includesinverting the container.
 27. A method as set forth in claim 19 or anyother method claim where the pulling step includes moving elements of afeed assembly to pull the sheet stock material from the stack.
 28. Amethod as set forth in claim 27 or any other method claim, where thepositioning step includes positioning the stack adjacent the feedassembly.
 29. A method as set forth in claim 27 or any other methodclaim, comprising the step of supporting the stack on the feed assembly.30. In combination, a container (16, 116) for a sheet stock material(12, 102), the container (16, 116) having an opening (26, 110) with adimension that is less than a corresponding dimension of the container(16, 116), and a feed assembly (20) for drawing sheet stock materialfrom the container (16, 116) and along a substantially linear paththrough the feed assembly (20), where the opening (26, 110) is alignedwith the linear path.
 31. A combination as set forth in claim 30 or anyother combination claim, where the container (16, 116) has a widthdimension and a stack of fan-folded sheet stock material (12, 102) inthe container (16, 116), the stack (12, 102) having a width dimensionparallel to fold lines in the sheet material, the width dimension of thestock material being greater than the width of the container (16, 116),and the stack (12, 102) is bent about an axis transverse the widthdimension to create a convex surface (34) facing the opening (26, 110).32. A system (10, 100) for converting a sheet stock material (12, 102)into a relatively less dense dunnage product (14), comprising: means forsupporting a stack of fan-folded sheet stock material (12, 102) havingfold lines parallel to a width dimension, the stack (12, 102) being bentabout an axis transverse the width dimension to form a convex surface(34) in the stack (12, 102); and means for drawing sheet stock materialfrom the convex surface (34) of the stack (12, 102) and through anaperture (26, 110) having a width that is less than the width of thestack (12, 102).